About you.

[Mathematician]

I'm interested in learning about other participants in this forum. I've gotten to know a lot of you these past few years, but there are still questions I would like to see answered. Why are you a socialist? What are your ideas (generic enough)? Who has cooler facial hair, Lenin or Marx?

 

[LittlePinky82]

Well Hugo Chavez inspired me to come to socialism and somehow or another I came across communism. I really admire the writings of Marx and found myself agreeing with a lot of what he had to say. Watching what has happened with Latin America and NAFTA/CAFTA has made me change a lot of my views from being a liberal democrat to a communist. Oh and I think Marx definitely has the cooler facial hair.

 

[pwsoldier]

Why are you a socialist?

I'm a working-class man from a working-class family. Like Pinky, I was a liberal Democrat for a while, but then I realized that the Democratic party is just as corrupt and incompetent as the Republican party. Also, they whine about a lot of dumb crap. So I started to read up on socialism and it just made sense to me in ways that no other ideology ever has.

What are your ideas (generic enough)?

Long story short, I'm a Marxist with anarcho-syndicalist tendencies. I believe in worker solidarity, social equality, and national self-reliance.

Who has cooler facial hair, Lenin or Marx?

Definately Marx.

 

[sandandfoam]

For me socialism followed from trade unionism. Like pwsoldier, I'm a working class fella, capitalism is never going to do it for me.
Lenins got the cooler beard. By a mile.

 

[Yerda]

I've been a socialist of some degree since I was about 15. I'm not particularly philosophical about it. I think some things are best run socially (like roads, lighting, education, public transport, health etc) and that a communities resources should not be used to enrich a few people at the expense of others (gas, oil, etc). However I've come to understand that the typical capitalist response that private is more efficient is not always necessarily false as many socialists seem to believe. Neither am I able to accept that private enterprise is inherently dangerous to public welfare.

I was a member of the Scottish Socialist Party for a few years.

I think Marxism bollocks, but I must say Marx had a cracking beard.

 

[Mathematician]

I generally agree with your sentiments Jaiket, although I'm not so harsh towards Marxism. I think markets are very enduring if it wasn't for the fact they're not really "free" when you have so much legal and de facto protection around the rich. I'm more of a mutualist parecon on the issue of big business. I'd rather see corporations replaced with democratic associations and have small businesses remain a wide variety of different experiments.

 

[Storm]

I don't know if I'm a socialist or not....

 

[Mathematician]

I don't know if I'm a socialist or not....

Why don't you put forward your ideas, particularly in relation to economics and democracy?

 

[Storm]

Well, I believe that the government should do more for the poor than it does. Trickle down economics is bs. I think schools especially need drastic reform, in the form of better funding, better qualified (and paid) teachers, and less reliance on standardized testing. I support universal healthcare.

 

[Mathematician]

Hmm, that's hard to judge from. You can't really straight jacket socialism into a set of qualifiers. One generalization I think all socialists are willing to fall for is an intense interest in ending the power wealth holds over governments and a goal of eliminating inequality where there shouldn't be.

 

[Magic Man]

I don't consider myself a full socialisy, and I don't put a lot of thought into economics or politics, but I definitely lean towards socialism in a lot of ways. For me it was more thinking about things, and then hearing about socialism, and realizing that my thoughts on many things were very socialist. I also majored in French in college, and so studied France quite a bit. I can't say I have a full grasp on their political or economic situation, but I learned some things about socialism there.

I am a working-class schmoe, but socialism seems to be a good fit for society in a lot of ways. As other have said here, capitalism has its advantages, too, and is useful, but for the major things, like roads, schools, resources, keeping things among the people and not big business makes sense to me.

 

[Mathematician]

I notice a lot of socialists on this forum aren't necessarily opposed to markets. If people have time, they should look into mutualism, or free market socialism. It's notably different than free market capitalism in that:

- Social services still exist on the marketplace while still being kept public
- Land (or more precisely space) does not act as a commodity
- Major corporations are to be turned into large-scale social associations since they acquired private illegitimately
- No incorporation protection for private firms
- Limited or no use of patents

As a historical analysis it also rejects the mythos of the American pioneer, stating 1.) Native American lands were wrongfully taken and that 2.) laborers, under force from an already coercive system, broke the "virgin soil" but didn't acquire the property.

 

[zenzero]

Friend Gene,
Personally practice socialism in reality by taking each human to be equal without distinguishing them by their color, caste, creed, nationality, sex, social status, bank balance or whatever one can think off.
This is the only socialism that can last, all others have failed
Love & rgds

 

[Zephyr]

I don't know if I'm a Socialist or not, but I do find it interesting in many ways.

I guess I have every reason to be a Socialist. I was born and raised in poverty (I'm in college right now and working to help out my mom and sister since my dad's in jail till December), and I'm not really a fan of land ownership (though I have trouble thinking up coherent alternatives). My dad is a self-employed balloon clown, which is the best job because people love him, he loves his work, and he technically does it all for free (though people really tip quite generously), and my current work is a partnership in which I have no boss, but many co-owners.

Maybe somebody can help me find my way around this all? I'm no genius, just a broke hairy guy attempting to grow an impressive beard. Most socialists I've met are firmly "world citizens" and social libertarians. Is the reverse possible? Is there any contradiction in being a both Socialist and a Folkish Nationalist? I see things as built up from the folk as a whole to serve their kin. This obviously excludes large-scale implementation, but perhaps that could be remedied by keeping a currency that could be used with the outside world for necessary goods and services. I don't know, I'm kind of muddled in the brain right now, but it just seems nice. Any help? Has anybody theorized something like this? A Socialism based on folkish ties, rather than universalism?

Edit: Marx had the best beard, though Lenin did look pretty sharp.

 

[Yerda]

Is there any contradiction in being a both Socialist and a Folkish Nationalist?

Probably. What does your Folkish Nationalism entail, Zephyr?

 

[Alceste]

Hi, there. I'm a socialist anarchist. (Yes, I can be both). I would prefer to live in a society that values the fair distribution of natural resources without coercion by the state. What made me this way was probably bags and bags of magic mushrooms, and also friendliness. I'll sit and chat with anyone. Historically that's included some very down-and-out types, and hearing the life story of your typical vagrant is surely enough to convince anyone there is something seriously wrong with our current system of unfair distribution of resources sustained by paternalistic force.

My father is also an anarchist, so this was surely an influence, and I grew up in a family with deep Christian values, by which I mean the values of Christ himself as evidenced by his own words and actions. (My parents see Jesus as a loving and rebellious socialist ****-disturber).

The Tao te Ching is also a big influence, particularly the verses relating to good government.

 

[Zephyr]

Probably. What does your Folkish Nationalism entail, Zephyr?

Folkish as in the nation being defined not by boundaries or "current legal nationality" (there's gotta be a better term for this, but it's clarified a bit later in this post), but rather by kinship through blood or religion.

For instance, I am folk with other Heathens (Through religious ties), and other people of Germanic descent, particularly the Dutch, the Fries, and the Germans (Through ethnic ties). However, I would not be folk with, say, a Russian-American, despite the fact that we are both American citizens.

I suppose a simple way to put it would be like if a tribe of people defined by familial or ethnic ties were to implement a form of socialism while at the same time keeping a sort of "closed-border" system, with the exception of those of the same tribe living in other areas that wished to join.

 

[3.14]

im a narsistic sceptic with a bland of realism and a tad of reductionism

 

[Mathematician]

Hi, there. I'm a socialist anarchist. (Yes, I can be both). I would prefer to live in a society that values the fair distribution of natural resources without coercion by the state. What made me this way was probably bags and bags of magic mushrooms, and also friendliness. I'll sit and chat with anyone. Historically that's included some very down-and-out types, and hearing the life story of your typical vagrant is surely enough to convince anyone there is something seriously wrong with our current system of unfair distribution of resources sustained by paternalistic force.

My father is also an anarchist, so this was surely an influence, and I grew up in a family with deep Christian values, by which I mean the values of Christ himself as evidenced by his own words and actions. (My parents see Jesus as a loving and rebellious socialist ****-disturber).

The Tao te Ching is also a big influence, particularly the verses relating to good government.

Hey; we sound like cousins. :yes: Lao Tsi's work also had an impact on me, even before realizing that socialism is not a bad word; I started to consider myself an anarchist socialist after thinking long and hard about the main problems with this world.

I have a sour taste in my mouth for "anarcho-capitalism," although I'm trying to understand their position more. I don't necessarily take issue with markets or owning "means of production," but there's some pretty despicable aspects of an-cap that I simply couldn't accept: like building a factory, and then appointing a manager and raking in money by doing absolutely nothing but "engaging risk."

I also think a genuine anarchist takes up issue with more than just free association. Like feminism, racial equality, acceptance of sexual minorities, and most importantly - a fair distribution of wealth.

 

[Mathematician]

Folkish as in the nation being defined not by boundaries or "current legal nationality" (there's gotta be a better term for this, but it's clarified a bit later in this post), but rather by kinship through blood or religion.

For instance, I am folk with other Heathens (Through religious ties), and other people of Germanic descent, particularly the Dutch, the Fries, and the Germans (Through ethnic ties). However, I would not be folk with, say, a Russian-American, despite the fact that we are both American citizens.

I suppose a simple way to put it would be like if a tribe of people defined by familial or ethnic ties were to implement a form of socialism while at the same time keeping a sort of "closed-border" system, with the exception of those of the same tribe living in other areas that wished to join.

National-anarchism is for you, me thinks.